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the u.s. ceases weapons from houthis in yemen as they continue strikes on ships in the red sea. cutter and france renegotiate a deal to get medication to hostages in gaza as the u.s. says they are hopeful that further talks could be helpful. women and children displaced by the islamic state are finding a new home in kurdistan. ♪ welcome to the program. good to have you with us. the u.s. says it has ceased at danced iranian weapons that were being transported to rebels in yemen. the operation happen five days ago as the u.s. and u.k. carried out airstrikes on houthi targets. the u.s. says they seized components for ballistic and cruise missiles and parts of air defense equipment. u.s. military analysis shows the houthis used it the same kind of

weapons and attacks in the red sea. meanwhile, the houthis have continued their strikes, hitting a greek ship today causing minor damage. the u.s. is urging countries in the middle east to do more to try to stop the attacks on international shipping. >> we anticipated the houthis would continue to try to hold this critical artery at risk and we continue to reserve the right to take further action, but this needs to be an all hands on deck effort. the answer to your question comes down to not just the decisions of the countries in the coalition that took strikes last week, but the broad set of countries including those with influence in toronto and -- tehran and other capitals in the middle east making this a priority to indicate that the entire world rejects wholesale the idea that a group like the

houthis can basically hijack the world like they are doing. >> and joining me now is our state department correspondent. we are today that the houthis have hit another vessel in the red sea and that the united states is continuing its strikes. what more are we learning about washington's strategy? >> as you say, what we are seeing now in the red sea is very much tit-for-tat. we had in the early hours of this morning another u.s. strike on yemeni soil, taking out four missiles that u.s. officials had said were primed and ready to fire. after the u.s. strike today in yemen, a greek owned vessel also

hit. you have to put this into the context of what was going on last week. this big joint attack by the u.s. and the u.k. into yemen. has that deterred the houthis? not completely because they are still firing at ships, but what u.s. officials are trying to say is this is not at the level of attacks that was happening before. they would present this as a tactical success so far, but the biggest strategic oh question remains. the houthis are trying to link this to the military incursion into gaza. they are trying to isolate the u.s., saying what the u.s. is doing has nothing to do with gaza. >> the u.s. military announcing it had seized iranian supplied weapons, it said, that were bound for houthi fighters last

week and also that two navy seals are missing and that operation. what more are we learning about that mission? >> this was reported for the end of last week. we now have the details officially from the pentagon. what they have said is that there was the seizure by u.s. worship of a sailboat off the coast of somalia, that this was carrying iranian weapons to the houthis in yemen. they seized this ship, got some of these ballistic missile parts and cruise missile parts, but in that operation two u.s. navy seals were lost at sea missing. this is a really serious incident and i think it shows you just how quickly and easily things can go wrong in that part of the world and therefore there was always the capacity for things to slip much more easily out of control. >> one more thing i do want to

touch on, reports that potentially we could be seeing another deal on the horizon to release more hostages. what more can you tell us about that? >> of course because there has been no progress since late november when about 100 hostages were released by hamas in gaza in return for the release of more than 300 palestinian prisoners held by israel. we are today john kirby the white house national security spokesman saying that they are hopeful about this. the language here is significant , there are serious discussions in qatar, but we are hopeful that a deal can bear fruit and bear fruit soon. we haven't heard language like that in weeks really, but of course there is a lot of caution around this in the run-up to the

last set of hostage releases. it took many, many weeks were to come to fruition. >> our state department correspondent john -- tom bateman. for now, thanks so much. a short while ago, i spoke to an expert on the region with the carnegie endowment for international peace. thank you so much for joining us today on bbc news. we have seen a further strike from the houthis in the red sea, this time on a greek vessel. also, the u.s. continuing its airstrikes. washington says that it is trying to de-escalate tensions in the middle east right now. in light of what we are seeing, do you see the prospect of that happening anytime soon? >> i don't think there will be de-escalation anytime soon, not as long as the conflict in gaza remains ongoing. the islamic republic of iran

thrives on instability. the countries where iran wields influence in the region are essentially five failing states. gaza and the palestinian territories, syria, lebanon, iraq, and yemen. iran thrives on instability. they thrive when there are power vacuums. they know the united states doesn't want more conflict in the region. they know the united states is intent on de-escalating and that emboldens iran because they don't want a war, but the u.s. instinct is to always try to calm the temperature rather than escalate. >> you say they don't want a war, but could this strategy become more risky for them? when we know that iran has also launched missiles into northern

iraq, syria as well. is there a greater prospect of a regional war in light of this? >> you knw, iran has 45 years of experience in being in a cold war war with the united states and israel. certainly, there is risk of miscalculation, but one grand to take away over the last four deck awaits they have had is that if you hit the united states in the united states, for example if you go and attack the twin towers in new york, america will come after you. it has also been iran's experience that if you go after u.s. outposts in the middle east, but that often times tends to do is it sours public opinion in the united states and americans will ask, why are our soldiers even out there in places like iraq and syria? certainly, there is a risk of miscalculation if you end up killing many dozens of u.s. soldiers in the region, but

their case to be the last four decades is that if you hit america in the region, it tends to sour public opinion about retaining a presence in the middle east. >> i just wonder about your assessment of the diplomatic efforts from the biden administration. we know that president biden has sent what was referred to as a private message to iran. do you think that message is being heard? >> the challenge in dealing with the islamic republic of iran and actors like vladimir putin in russia is that when you make it appear to them that you have no interest in conflict and you are trying to de-escalate, they often times can mistake that for a concession and mistake that they can afford to be bolder and more aggressive, because america is not looking for a fight.

so i think if you are constantly signaling to tehran that we don't want conflict, we want to lower the temperature, that inadvertently can embolden them. >> i want to touch on the role of the houthis in all of this. they have said this is all about what is happening in gaza right now. do they also have their own aims , their own goals in the world stage? >> what the houthis and iran and virtually all of iran's regional allies and proxies have in common is a total disregard for the well-being and security of their own people. the people of yemen are living under awful circumstances. economically, but also politically and socially. rather than focus on the people of yemen, the houthis, like iran and its regional allies, they

invoke the palestinian cause, but the reality is that their actions haven't done anything for the well-being of palestinians nor have they done anything for their own people. one thing that is important to understand is there is a difference between being anti-israel and pro-palestine. the islamic republic of iran, the houthis and this so-called axis of resistance are anti-israel, but they have done very little to improve the well-being of the palestinians. >> senior fellow of the carnegie endowment for international peace, thanks for your analysis. concerns about attacks in the red sea dominated discussions on the first day of the world economic forum. the annual gathering in davos, switzerland. some freight companies say that continued disruption could mean

higher prices for consumers well shall has reportedly paused shipments through the crucial waterway. our economics editor has more from davos. >> a bright new artificial intelligence enabled future. but the clouds cleared over the world economy may be back again. another ship attacked by houthi missiles, shell diverting oil tankers, local freight authorities saying there will be pain for european consumers. >> our strategy is very much around building resilient supply chains so that we are better prepared to handle some of the turbulence that we think is currently seen year after year. just we have seen things calming down, it is not entirely calm down yet. >> can the world economy lift itself? >> i think the world is getting

used to crises. the economy has in its own way persevered. these things are extending the cost of living challenges that we've got. >> there may be some discreet diplomacy going on. the u.s. secretary of state meeting the united nations. the qatari prime minister said the best way to stop the crisis was a cease-fire in gaza. >> we are highly concerned about further escalation. now, we see that there are some retaliations from the u.s. and the u.k. yet, this is also where you create a high risk of further escalation. >> the belief is that there hasn't yet been a leap in oil and gas prices, but everyone here can see a path to that outcome. the foreign ministers of the u.s., u.k., and iran will be

here tomorrow. ukraine's president met global financers here today. multiple shadows over the world economy are yet to be resolved. bbc news in davos. >> the collapse of the islamic state in syria left thousands of women and children in several countries stranded in detention camps across the north of the country. many want to return to their countries of origin, but some governments including the u.s. and u.k. are reluctant. kyrgyzstan is one of the exceptions. the mountainous central asian country has repatriated at least 110 mothers and 229 children. the united nations says many of the women are often tricked or lured to going to syria. daniel wittenberg traveled to a reception center to hear from some of the women who made it home and claimed they never wanted to go in the first place. >> in the mountains of northern kyrgyzstan, a haven for wives

and children of suspected i.s. recruits. it could not look more different to the dry and dusty overcrowded camps in northern syria where they have spent the best part of half a decade bound by foreign borders and foreign values. before they are allowed back home, compulsory lessons in how to live again in kyrgyzstan. from theologians practicing religious tolerance. groups of around 60 women and their young families are held at this rehabilitation center for six weeks. the heat, sleep, and study and receive support for their psychological scars. fatima, the eldest of the arrivals at 57, followed her husband to turkiye in 2017 and said the roar of fighter jets was the first she heard of their final destination. her husband and two adult sons died not long after they arrived in i.s. territory, but she will

soon be reunited with the rest of her family who have already been brought back. >> i'm already, but i'm glad my grandchildren can have an education. i want them to study science to understand the world better. they have seen so little. >> life at the center is tightly controlled. it lies within two rings of military security and mobile phones are banned. we, like the residents, or under the watchful eye of security services. if rehabilitation is hard, for some families reintegration is even tougher. elmira says she was strict into traveling to syria by a man she met online. now 27 and a mother, she faces a new difficulty, feeling accepted in the community. >> it isn't pleasant. a lot of us don't understand why they are afraid of us. we are afraid of them. people think we have come back

here with machine guns and suicide belts. it is not like that. we are people just like they are. we also have families and we also want to live peaceful and happy lives. >> kyrgyzstan is now a world leader in terms of ois repatriations. the government hopes this policy will show it is a tolerant country which looks after its most vulnerable citizens. >> our kind of islam is not radical. we are a small nation that needs to take care of each other, even of those who commit mistakes. >> back in the land they long for, the returning women and their children are shouldering the burden of their misjudgments, but unlike nearly 50,000 people from around the world still trapped in syrian camps, they have a second chance in life. daniel wittenberg, bbc news, kyrgyzstan. >> between 2022 and 2020 three, almost 30 countries repatriated

nearly 7000 family members associated with foreign terrorist fighters from northeastern syria. that is according to the u.s. state department. around 300 americans are believed to have traveled or attempted to have joined ayad between 2013 and 2019. in the u.s. remains involved in efforts to repatriate these individuals, it has in the past strip citizenship from some who travel to syria to join the group. federal judge ruled in 2019 that and american-born women who left the united states in 2014 to join the terrorist group was not a u.s. citizen. now, the republican candidates for president are turning their attention to next week's new hampshire primary after former president donald trump defeated his rivals in the iowa caucuses by an unprecedented margin. donald trump got 51% of the vote in the first contest of this year's republican primary contest. that is the best result for any nonincumbent republican in the

iowa caucuses 48 year history. florida governor ron desantis and nikki haley, former u.s. ambassador to the united nations, took 21% and 19% of the vote respectively. they are now pending their campaigns on the next two primaries, new hampshire which votes next tuesday in south carolina, which votes a month later. joining us now from des moines is our north america correspondent, gary o'donoghue, who we cross over to now. you are out there braving the cold the day after the night before in iowa. we saw that decisive, convincing victory for donald trump. what does this mean for the rest of the nomination process? >> well it confirms what we knew, that these were real votes from real voters and that tells us that he has this thumping great lead in this primary and

that it will take something extraordinary to overturn that. at the moment, there is this battle for second place, which we saw a ron desantis edge out nikki haley, but she said it was a two horse race. as we move on to hampshire next week, ron desantis is in single digits in the polls there. nikki haley is 14 points beyond -- behind donald trump, but that is half the margin she was here. then we get to her home state in south carolina, where she is 30 points adrift of donald trump, which is extraordinary for a two term governor from her state. they still think this is on in part because there are different legal difficulties that donald trump could face this year and this sliver of republican voters , may be around 30% of them or so who do believe that a conviction for donald trump could cause a problem for his electability, could make them think twice about electing him.

the other thing to say about nikki haley in new hampshire is that independents get to vote in that primary and they tend to be moderate and the moderates tend to flock toward nikki haley. that is where she is pinning her hopes. >> attention has already turned to new hampshire. it has to. it is fast approaching. what is the game plan from the candidates? >> well, more retail politics. one of those places where you have to shake a lot of hands, knock on a lot of doors, spend a lot of time and money and both nikki haley has done that. ron desantis, not so much. he put a lot of money and time into iowa and he squeaked into second place. what we are not going to see interestingly is another primary debate. there was due to be one on thursday between ron desantis, nikki haley and potentially donald trump if he chose to join

which he hasn't done until now, but if he's not going to go, i'm not going to go, nikki haley said. abc has now pulled it. here we are january 16 and we could be seeing the end of primary debates for the time being for this year and this cycle entirely. >> our very own gary o'donoghue covering the very latest for us. good to talk to you. thank you. let's turn now to some important news around the world. hundreds are being evacuated from a tourist resort in china after heavy snow left them stranded for a week. avalanches cut off the main road and trapped them. in some places, the snow was seven meters deep. military helicopters have been ferrying and food and flying tourists out. the world health organization says the global use of tobacco was declining, but warns it will take another 30 years to feel the impact read about 150

countries are successfully reducing tobacco use. the who said the number of adult smokers fell to a fifth in 2022. officials are hoping to limit numbers to venice on peak days. former president donald trump appeared in court in new york for jury selection in his e. jean carroll defamation case. the jury awarded her damages. the jury will decide how much he should be required to pay for remarks he made about her after that original trial. she is seeking $10 million in damages. now, erosion is sculpting

dramatic features into a massive iceberg, currently the world's biggest iceberg, but now likely in its final months of existence. a ship found huge caves and arches cut into the walls. it is being ground down by warmer air and warmer surface water as it drifts away from enter cap -- antarctica. it was previously stuck on the ocean floor for the past 30 years. you can always find more on the days news at bbc.com/news, plus you can see what we are working on anytime. check us out on your favorite social media site. i'm helen humphrey in washington, d.c. thank you for watching world news america. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz on the "newshour" tonight, former president donald trump's record win at the iowa caucuses solidifies his hold on the gop. a look at the tough road ahead